Registered: Feb 2001
Location: Atlantic Rim
Posts: 570

Would You Trade Your PDA for a Decent Full Time Secretary?

I was contemplating this concept within the context of a reply to another string and decided the question could well stand on its own.

Day-Timers "exploded" onto the scene with the first wave of corporate down sizing in the 1980's. Simultaneous to this (and largely coincidentally) the word processing revolution was upon us. Middle and senior managers who once had the dedicated support of an administrative assistant (in those days known as a "secretary") who would keep their schedule, notate their calls, log their billables and write their letters soon found themselves with no dedicated support and a desktop computer on their desk. This without the benefit of two years of secretarial school, the underlying premise of which was organizational science.

I think a great revisionist corporate slogan for Palm or Handspring could be "Handspring: Providing innovative office support services to professionals who otherwise would have none".

So I ask you people, which would you prefer in the new year, a sleek new Palm Tungsten to help organize your life and foster your career, or a carefully screened professional assistant to improve upon your communications and prepare you to meet the challenges of your career?

Registered: Mar 2001
Location: Out of my skull, back in five minutes
Posts: 1435

quote:

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Originally posted by Keefer Lucas
So I ask you people, which would you prefer in the new year, a sleek new Palm Tungsten to help organize your life and foster your career, or a carefully screened professional assistant to improve upon your communications and prepare you to meet the challenges of your career?

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Registered: Jul 2002
Location:
Posts: 120

Apples and Oranges.

Thankfully, in my case, it is also something that I no longer have to think about.

However, I'll bet there are lots of "corpies" who have their secretary/personal assistant/spouse/anybody they can find "take care of" their pda.

Registered: Sep 2000
Location: Rochester, NY
Posts: 284

If I could find one that looked as good as my PDA for the same price, why not?

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Registered: Aug 2001
Location: ILLINOIS
Posts: 227

The secretary DEF

WIthout a doubt--Though I would miss the Edge--

PS--For spme reason I can't answer polls here---Every other site works but the VC don't like me--Maybe it's my reaction to the initials--

Registered: Jun 2002
Location: By the toilet.
Posts: 174

Re: Would You Trade Your PDA for a Decent Full Time Secretary?

quote:

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Originally posted by Keefer Lucas
which would you prefer in the new year, a sleek new Palm Tungsten to help organize your life and foster your career, or a carefully screened professional assistant to improve upon your communications and prepare you to meet the challenges of your career?

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I'm just a dreamer..

Registered: Apr 2002
Location:
Posts: 74

Secretary for me

I think I would go with an admin. assistant. One of my main problems is that since I'm deaf, my phone is always ringing from people who don't read my letterhead and see the instructions in big bold text saying "Please use the Relay Service...".

Also, I have the dreaded problem of having the PDA but never really putting it to 100% use by not putting all of my appointments into it. (which I should).

Ugh.

Registered: Jul 2000
Location: USA
Posts: 75

I doubt my VDx would look good in black fishnets !

Main problem is the PDA is there 24x7, an admin asst is not.

Registered: Aug 2000
Location: South Carolina
Posts: 1062

Insufficient poll options

I actually have a good, efficient assistant AND a PDA. Unlike some folks, I could never turn my scheduling over to someone else b/c she would have no idea whether I could come in from out of town, be ready for depositions the next day, drive to hearing in Charleston and etc etc. In other words, my scheduling is such that a knowledge of the prep time inherent in the appointments themselves precludes anyone else doing it for me.

Besides, I can't give up Bejeweled and I consistently jam the copy machine...

Registered: Jan 2000
Location:
Posts: 52

I would only give up my PDA for an admin if:

1. The admin were available 24x7
2. The admin would carry and read books for me
3. The admin would keep database records of my personal and professional life
4. The admin would download and print out web pages for me
5. The admin would collect my free-form musings
6. The admin would encrypt and recall all my passwords
7. I could play games with the admin without upsetting my wife!
8. My admin could act as a dictionary

Well...

Registered: Mar 2001
Location: Out of my skull, back in five minutes
Posts: 1435

quote:

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Originally posted by dsaroff
I would only give up my PDA for an admin if:

1. The admin were available 24x7
2. The admin would carry and read books for me
3. The admin would keep database records of my personal and professional life
4. The admin would download and print out web pages for me
5. The admin would collect my free-form musings
6. The admin would encrypt and recall all my passwords
7. I could play games with the admin without upsetting my wife!
8. My admin could act as a dictionary

Well...

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Registered: Jan 2000
Location:
Posts: 52

quote:

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Originally posted by Yorick

most of these sound remarkably what a mom would do! at least until you're able to manage for yourself, anyway.

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Registered: Mar 2001
Location: Out of my skull, back in five minutes
Posts: 1435

quote:

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Originally posted by dsaroff

You must have a very strange mom then...

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Registered: Jan 2000
Location:
Posts: 52

quote:

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Originally posted by Yorick

your mom never read to you, carried things for you, was available (if stay at home) 24/7, explained words, played games with you? sad childhood there, bud.

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Registered: Mar 2001
Location: Out of my skull, back in five minutes
Posts: 1435

quote:

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Originally posted by dsaroff
she wasn't with me 24/7 (thankfully).

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Registered: Sep 2000
Location: Raleigh, NC
Posts: 832

Being in field services, I'd rather have an assistant. My PDA never got the tools out of the van for me. Besides, it's not exactly safe dialing the cell phone and writing notes while rolling down the highway.

Registered: Jul 2001
Location: OOB, ME
Posts: 176

quote:

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Originally posted by dampeoples
Besides, it's not exactly safe dialing the cell phone and writing notes while rolling down the highway.

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Only in a Jeep.

Registered: Sep 2000
Location: Raleigh, NC
Posts: 832

Me either, it would just be safer

Registered: Jan 2000
Location:
Posts: 391

Like someone else said... it it didn't cost any more, hell yes. But, you know, I wouldn't have had an "administrative assistant" anyway, so I'll stick with my PDA.

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Registered: Jun 2002
Location: By the toilet.
Posts: 174

Talk and drive

quote:

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Originally posted by dampeoples
Being in field services, I'd rather have an assistant. My PDA never got the tools out of the van for me. Besides, it's not exactly safe dialing the cell phone and writing notes while rolling down the highway.

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Excuse me for getting a little off-topic:

I always answer my phone calls when I'm driving, but I never dial, though I don't get a hands free kit (It's against the law here to talk on the phone while driving shhh don't tell anyone. )

Since I know my way around the phone dial pad it's a simple matter of picking up the phone and press big key to answer the phone and hold it up to one ear to talk.

Tell me if you think this is dangerous. I really don't know whether it'll be any more dangerous than talking with a friend in the car and one hand on the shifter.

(I remember one dumb informercial shown on locally some 5 years ago, teaching us the 'right' way to use the phone while driving: Install hands free kit, when driving and a call comes along, stop the car on the emergency lane, press the phone to answer, and then drive off again so both hands could be on the wheel at all times.... How dumb is that? Might as well do the stop on the e-lane to change gears on a manual gear. By stopping and going from the emergency lane may cause even more accidents. )

As a side note, anyone realise how you're gonna pickup a call on a Treo while driving even with a earphone kit? As I recall you need to flip the phone open to answer the call. It just sort of defeats the whole purpose of the earpiece.

Another side note:

It's awfully quite in these forums now.. is the community thinning out after jumping ship?

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